The Scotsman's Gareth Black reflects on the sad passing of Gala stalwart Bob Burrell.
"George Murray, former secretary of the South and a fellow referee, recalled: "Bob was a great humorist on and off the field and was a great one for encouraging the fun side of refereeing. He was an excellent referee and an inspiration to other referees.
"Ask anyone in Gala and they'll have a Bob Burrell story to tell. One of my favourites concerns a young Douglas Morgan playing against Langholm down at Milntown. Douglas broke down the blindside next to the stand but he was caught and ended up at the bottom of a ruck, where he was stood on and pushed face down in the mud.
"Douglas appealed to Bob 'What about that ref?' to which Bob replied, 'If I were you son I wouldn't go up the blindside again!'
"He was such a personality, the Jim Renwick of his day. He loved his rugby and wasn't very good at getting home early on a Saturday night."
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